Olga, an absorbing Hecht, manages to be resolute and vulnerable, while Irina, softly courted by the baron a well-modulated Ebon Moss-Bachrach, a kind man she doesn't love, ruefully comes to terms with her limited options.

They were educated without being intellectual, possessed a narrow range of well-modulated emotions, and day by day transmitted — through the mystery of telecommunications — a secret message intended just for me: defy your parents and major in education instead of English.